


Surviving Storms for your Smile

by straightouttapopstar



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, childhood crush, eirika is the cool popular nice girl, feh high school au i guess??, let’s say that this is valter without the cursed lance; tldr he’s a nice guy, so basically., this is all i have to say, valter is a shy little nerd, yes i know this is a bad idea but
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 08:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14828753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightouttapopstar/pseuds/straightouttapopstar
Summary: Since first meeting Eirika in preschool, Valter had been completely enamored with the girl.Being one of her classmates now in high school, it must be very easy for him to be close to her. Or is it...?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No, I have zero explanation for this  
> But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless; I kinda like the image of Valter being a cute little high school nerd, trying to be friends with the most popular girl at school tbh  
> (Thoughts are between // slashes because the formatting tools on the website don’t work with phones lately orz)

I’ll do it.

Today’s the day. I’ve decided. After painful trials and rekindled mind debates, I think I’m ready.

So when I see her, I ignore that my blue hair falling on my face endlessly and I can barely see who I’m tripping up as I run towards her—I can’t see the multitude of people glaring at me and wagging their tongues at me in utter mockery—I can’t hear anyone, see anyone from the crowd around her except for the goddess herself.

And once her soft, gentle laugh hits me, like a warm towel taken off the radiator after a cold day and thrown on one’s face, I almost collapse on my knees in front of her gracious radiance.

Once I’m trying to push through the busy crowd of acquaintances with whom she’s having an entertaining conversation with, I see her smile—I see her welcoming, bright smile like a thousand blinding suns. She places a lock of her behind her ear as her friend compliments her, and her cheeks grow red—oh, how I wish she could react to my praises in the same way too! How I wish I could be the one making her giggle, sigh in delight exactly like this.

But once I’m elbowed out into the popular circle, she finally sees me.

Her smile disappears in surprise, but she doesn’t think of my presence as invasive. She looks at me in curiosity, and asks—

“Hello. May I help you?”

Me, being the idiotic fool I am, I too place a lock of dark blue hair behind my ear in embarrassment, and I look into her eyes, ignoring her whispering friends beside us, who are most likely spreading further lies about me around the school.

“Who’s that creepy, blue-haired dude?”

“No idea—he looks damn suspicious though. I don’t like him.”

“Oh, the guy in front of Eirika? His name is Valter.”

“You mean that Valter? Bottom of the class, good for nothin’? Pfft—what a loser! I think he should lower his standards—he doesn’t even deserve to be talking to someone like Eirika!”

“Innit! Get lost, dude. Eirika prefers us over your rubbish.”

Even though confidence increasingly seeps out of me, Eirika manages to see the doubtful and embarrassed look in my eyes—and she touches my hand to bring me back to focus.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

“H-Hey Eirika.”

The circle goes silent, and they all focus on us, speaking.

“What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to you.”

“A-Ah, my name is Valter! We’re in the s-same Literature class.”

“Valter...”—she absentmindedly says my name and my knees feel weak—I suddenly don’t feel any embarrassment from the arrogant people around me, but happiness that Eirika said my name out loud. With her tongue, lips, and mind, moving over every syllable like it was a prayer. I could barely stand up in front of her questioning gaze, as she tried to think of when she heard my na—

“Ahh! Valter—of course. We used to go to the same preschool, didn’t we? Now I remember.”

My heart sings heavenly hymns as I see her smile with recognition while pronouncing my name oh so gently and carefully, kindly and to avoid mispronouncing it. I love it.

“Yes, we did!”

“Valter, you know that little blue paper rose you gave me in third grade?”

I suddenly begin to sweat uncomfortably—she still remembers that incident? I’m pretty sure it all happened when she had a fight with her twin brother, Ephraim, the day before and then she came to school the next day, sad and crying. I really had no idea how to cheer her up—I attempted to talk to her and bring her back to Askr, I guess, but to no avail.

So instead, I thought a gift would suffice. I went to the local shop which specialised in stationery, and I bought the most expensive paper they had. Then, as a childish third grader would, using online tutorials and the like, I spent three days afterschool trying to construct the most perfect paper rose, all for Eirika. I made it out of blue paper, knowing that it would have complimented her eyes well, as well as her beautiful hair. I felt so accomplished once I gave it to her, and she finally stopped crying.

But I would have never thought that she’d remember that incident to this day.

“Y-Yes, of course I remember! After all, I made said rose to cheer you up—“

Suddenly, she pulls my hand away from the book I was clutching close to my chest in nervousness, and she uses her other hand to place something in mine. She smiles at me.

“Here it is.”

I incredulously look at the object in my hand, and so do the curious people around us. They all peer at my hand in shock, as we recognize the said object to be the very same rose I gave to Eirika in third grade. I observe it from all sides, and I notice that it has all the frills, layers, and none of it is ripped—even though it is paper, and the colour has slightly worn off, it still looks as if in mint condition.

I look at Eirika’s bright, cheery eyes in absolute shock.

“I’m sorry that I’m only giving it to you now, but I figured that you may have wanted it back—“

With a red face, I shake my head and avert my gaze, holding the flower back out to her.

“N-No! Eirika, please keep it.”

“Keep it? But why? I’m happy now.”

“Uh...I-I really want it to be a symbol of our new friendship!”

“Friendship, huh?”—she whispers, which my twisted mind interprets as some sort of alluring murmur, and she takes the rose between two fingers, holding it as if we have just finished our date. She smiles at me again.

/Date with Eirika? One can dream.../

“Valter, you’re one great guy, you know that?”

Feeling my body suddenly heat up, as well as my cheeks, I avert my gaze away from her and smile nervously, holding my book even closer so that it covers my face—“aah, you really think so?”

People around us begin to laugh at my reaction, and I cower behind my Literature textbook, taking refuge in its cover like a lifeboat, but then Eirika takes a step closer towards me and uses the tip of her pointing finger to lower the book and reveal herself to me.

The scene turns rather intimate—or maybe only I see it like that—as she uses her hand to lower the book more and entirely expose my face to the world. The crowd around us is silent.

She takes one of blue locks of hair and twirls it around her finger innocently—and everyone looks at her in fear.

“She’s touching his hair! Oh my God.”

“I heard that he never showers apparently. Ew.”

“Whaddya think Ephraim would say right now?”

“That this is absolutely disgusting.”

Once she lets my hair go, she stands in front of me cheerfully, tapping her cute feet on the ground, and says—“do you want to catch up at some point, maybe?”

The crowds gasp.

“No way!”

“The ugly gets the girl?”

“I don’t believe it.”

I don’t believe it either even without the rude interference of the people around us—hell, I think it’s a miracle she even looked at me. But Eirika? My very first crush from preschool, asking whether I’d like to meet up and talk with her? I’ll probably never land a date with a beautiful girl like her, so I think I’ll just accept.

So I say—“sure, Eirika. I’d love to!”

“That’s settled! How about tomorrow lunch, in the library?”

This girl is an angel.

“P-Perfect!”

“Ah, I’m glad! See you then, Valter!”

And, nonchalantly, ignoring the bad rumours that have eternally been going around about me, she blows me a little kiss as she walks out of the hall, her skirt moving side to side with her hips, her adorable itty bitty shoes clacking along the floor.

Once she turns around the corner, the crowds too leave the finished performance and they spit and glare at me.

“Pfft, I bet Eirika is only making fun of him. She’d never go out with that ugly guy.“

“I share her opinion. I’d never go out with him, even for a million.”

“Seems like he’ll have to look elsewhere very soon! I really feel sorry for him, haha.”

One of them, even, directly walks up to me and pushes me at a nearby wall, cracking the glasses that had been resting on my nose and making my Literature book slip out of my hands. Then, he steps on it and rips its cover whilst looking directly in my eyes.

“This is what is going to happen to you if you continue with her, fool.”

Then, he kicks me in the stomach before I can even react, and swiftly moves to class along with the deafening crowds.

I can barely get up. But I’m sure that it’s all worth it.

All for Eirika.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof I’m such a nerd I just had to write another chapter orz

I’ve never been liked by anyone in particular. Even with friends, I’ve always had difficulty, right from the very start.

Preschool was not too hard when it came to studies. But socialization? Pfft, my hatred for it only grew as I rose through grade after grade. Even though children were very straightforward to make friends with, I was never keen to do so. Perhaps, it was because from day one, I had been insulted left and right by everyone I really wanted to trust.

“Friends? Don’t make me laugh, loser.”

“Eww, did you see that blue haired guy? He has the worst boy germs in class!”

“He does? That’s disgusting!”

“I’m not so sure. Maybe we should give him a chance for once?”

When I first heard Eirika’s voice, I remember I was trying to pick out a book from a shelf—I gently pulled it to myself, but, once her voice made itself present in the room, I froze and let the book drop to the floor. 

Fortunately, before I could pick up the book, Eirika decided to walk to the bookshelf herself and pick it up, much to her friends’ dismay. That was our first ever encounter.

I didn’t say a thing, and I avoided her eyes in embarrassment.

“Hey?”—she gently placed her hand on my shoulder once she stood up, book in hand, and I knew that I had never felt similarly ashamed before—“This is your book, right?”

I didn’t know what she was expecting me to say. I didn’t know her. Surely, she was beautiful, but that made me feel even worse, as I was regarded as the ugliest child around. Hell, even teachers avoided my gaze when they could, and I thought that was just spectacular to my reputation in school. From a young age, I was shunned and hated by everyone around me.

Except for her.

Although her hand was still resting on my shoulder, she was determined to pull me back to focus—therefore, she didn’t think much of it when she gently pulled a lock of my hair to get my attention.

I heard a gasp then, presumably from her.

“Gosh, Valter! Your hair is actually sooooo pretty!”

I had no idea how to reply to such a weird comment—and yet, I found myself smiling slightly through all this shame, and then I finally found the confidence to face her.

“Hah, I’m glad you can finally look at me. I hope I’m not too ugly so you found it difficult to, or something.”

Ugly? If I had the power to, I would have probably slapped her at that very moment for voicing such a deliberate lie! As much of an able (although unsightly) kid I was, it was difficult to even comprehend her beauty—it really did feel like love at first sight that every protagonist and their dog experienced in those childish, idealistic novels. I couldn’t speak. Her aquamarine eyes, her bold, confident stare, the blue-waterfall hair that cascaded past her slim shoulders, her slim, attractive form—it all rendered me unable to comprehend nor speak. I held out my hand, and speechlessly accepted the book.

“E-Eirika, I can’t b-believe you could say that about yourself! You’re like a goddess—“

But before I could stop myself ranting about how much I admire her, she began to look at me quizzically, and her friends erupted in laughter at my demeanour and pitiful embarrassment.

“Pfft, boy, she’s outta your league completely.”

“Eirika, we’ll wait for you outside, okay? Cheers to spending your time with this bleak piece of trash.”

I was waiting for her to agree with them—accept their criticisms of me, and even repeat every little they have said about me. I was prepared to feel cold as her hand would leave my shoulder. And it did.

But it left to wave goodbye to them.

“Okay guys, I’ll see ya’ll outside!”

Although none of her friends agreed with her behaviour, they left us both inside an empty classroom.

At the centre of that awkward silence stood we, me cowering before her unusually kind gaze, and her leaning against the bookshelf with a smile.

“Wait wait—do you really think I’m like a goddess?”

Dammit. What a slip.

“I mean—no, I’m not that weird, I don’t think you—“

Although when I noticed her smile dropping, I tried saving myself by reaffirming my beliefs.

“No, actually, I think you are like a goddess! Maybe not a real goddess but, Eirika...I do think you’re really pretty.”

“Aw, thanks Valter! You’re so nice!” was her response. From that moment, I had it recorded in my mind—from her kind gaze and her turquoise locks to her adorable red dress and pink ballets. To this day, I still replay it.

No, I’m not being creepy. I just like reminiscing, and thinking about Eirika. And how cute she has always been looking. I’m not a weird stalker. Just an appreciator of true beauty and perfection, so to say.

Even though she could have spent her afternoon with her closest friends then, talking with them about current affairs, fashion, toys, or whatever third grader girls are passionate about, I found it wonderful that she chose to spend it with me on the class carpet, sitting down beside each other, reading the book I had accidentally dropped beforehand.

It was called “Apotheosis”. Don’t ask me how such a book found its way to a third grader common bookshelf. I liked how it looked like, and the blurb seemed interesting, so I found it necessary to grab it and delve into it, uncover its mysteries.

Eirika looked upon its title page with delight, but she didn’t look too happy when she could barely pronounce the title of the said book.

“Ap...Apo—what does that say, Valter?”—she said my name again. I couldn’t believe she was spending time with me, sitting so close to me. It felt like we had been friends for years before that moment.

“It says”—I absentmindedly took her hand in mine and moved it under each letter as I pronounced it—“A-po-the-o-sis.”

When I noticed I had taken her hand into mine, I dropped it instantly and my eyes widened in shock.

“Valter, is everything okay?”

“I-I’m so sorry, Eirika, I took your hand in mine, I shouldn’t have, that was so dishonourable of me—“

“Valter, you’re so darn silly”—she said disappointedly, and purposefully put her hand in mine as I opened the book.

God, I could barely breathe. She was such a great girl! To a third grade boy, it was like a dream come true. From then on, I was sure my life would be easier. After all, the most beautiful girl in class was giving me her undying attention for a long time. It was like an achievement after hard work, a reward of heaven after eternal slavery.

“What does that a-word mean, anyway?”

“It means ‘being made into a god’.”

She nodded at me incredulously, her lips open and absorbing every word I had to say. I found it very enjoyable that there was a person in the school that listened to me more than my parents or teachers did—a person who valued me for who I was. After all, I wasn’t handsome. I wasn’t a conventionally sociable boy, one who had masses of friends and attended every birthday party in preschool. There weren’t girls lining up in front of me, waiting and wanting to be mine.

Not that third grade relationships ever lasted for more than five days—but it was a nice thought.

“Yeah, Valter, I don’t think I’m into deep stuff like that, but it sounds really cool. You must be really smart to know that.”

“Thank you s-so much! And please don’t leave yet—I’m sure it’ll get better after the first ten pages—“

At that moment, she laid her head on my shoulder, and giggled. I, on the other hand, didn’t dare move, lest her head fell or I made her change her mind.

She actually put her head on my shoulder—Eirika, the most popular girl in class, did so, out of her own volition. And I felt like everything then was just a dream.

“Valter, you really are more silly than I thought.”

Although I still refrained from drastic movement, I did turn my head a little, and was met with her beautiful hair touching my face—“I am?”

“Yes, you totally are. We’re friends. I think you’re really cool. Of course I won’t go right now. We have a book to read! About your a...y’know, the a...”

“A-Apotheosis?”

“Yeah, that! I won’t even think of going until we finish. I promise.”

She promised. With an embarrassed smile, still feeling her head on my shoulder, and her hands snaking around my left arm, I turned to the first page of the book.

“And with that, our story begins...”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!!!! Thank you for reading, please leave kudos and comments, I’d be thankful  
> I may not continue this further, although it all depends  
> I hope you support this fic if it does continue  
> (cough cough please draw more Valter fanart thanks)  
> Toodles!!!


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